


Language of Love

by verboseDescription



Category: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Genre: F/M, Platonic Soulmates, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmates, each universe has different soulmate methods
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-10-23 04:16:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17676293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/verboseDescription/pseuds/verboseDescription
Summary: In Gwen's world, all soulmates see each other's thoughts. In Peter's, they all know the first thing their soulmate will say to them.In Miles' a soulmark is just that, a mark. An simple, unchanging reminder of something you share with someone you love. But Miles' soulmark DOES change.Or, a retelling of spiderverse with some soulmate aus. Because who doesn't like soulmates?





	Language of Love

**i. love**

The year is 1933. Peter Parker has been Spider-Man for exactly 6 months which is, apparently, how long it takes to wind up in the bed of Felicia Hardy. Her chest is bare, and so are her wrists. It was possible, of course, to have a soulmate without a mark, but not at her age. Even an illiterate found some way of giving a recognizable signature. He hadn’t known her arms were bare, but then again, she didn’t know _his_ soulmate. He could trust her with many secrets, it seemed, but not this one. The writing on his arm was crisp and beautiful. Almost as if it had been written by a typewriter. It’s a shame he was never going to show it to anyone.

“It’s not something I’m particularly torn up about it,” Felicia says. “A man always loves a dame without a name. Always feel less guilty. Like I’m just here as a trial run.”

“I’m sorry,” Peter says. He doesn’t say he loves her. He thinks he might, but he knows that Felicia doesn’t consider herself someone who loves anyone. He says, “It’s a Jewish sin to let something disfigure your body. Marks like these, well, they’re just that. We let ourselves sin because the temptation of finding someone to share this miserable world with is too strong. We’re all to weak to face reality alone, so we go to any lengths to fix it. Except you.”

“I’m not so coldhearted that I don’t need any company,” Felicia says.

“Is that why you do this?” Peter asks. She doesn’t ask him to clarify. In fact, she doesn’t say anything at all.

 

The thing about soulmates is they’re real magic. No, no, _real_ magic. When you met your very special guy—or girl, or neither—you were unstoppable! No sickness was too terrible, no curse too strong. A soulmate would cure you of all your ailments! That’s why so many people tried making soulmate-in-a-can, for those a little unluckier in life.

Personally, Peter Porker doesn’t care about finding a soulmate. He knows that when he sees his special person, he’ll Know. The world would get brighter, and the music would swell, just as it always does, but he can’t help but worry. Sure, he’s a pig _now,_ but who’s to say that doesn’t just make him a horribly disfigured spider? No, if there’s a choice between choosing between love or Spiderham, he’s going to choose the later. Being kissed just isn’t worth the risk.

 

 

 

When Gwen is seven years old, she complains to her father that her soulmate is broken.

“See?” she says, sticking out her arm. Instead of thoughts, there were pictures. “How am I supposed to have a super-cool thought penpal when they can’t even _talk_ to me?”

“It just means you’ve got someone special,” George Stacy says, ruffling his daughter’s hair. “I’m sure you’ll find a way talk to each other in no time.”

They don’t, not really. But some days, Gwen sees the mark of a spider on her arm in blue and red and when she gets bit, she can’t help but think back to that. It’s a good symbol, she thinks. She can’t help but hope that wearing it will bring her closer to finding her soulmate.

 

Miles honestly hasn’t thought much about his soulmate lately. Honestly, he kind of prefers not to talk about it. He knows his mark looks weird and he doesn’t want to be the new kid _and_ the one with the weird soul mark.

They’re not supposed to change, is the thing. It’s just supposed to be a mark. Something that connects two people in a way they immediately understand. But the radio on Miles’ arm keeps spitting out different lyrics, always a bright neon pink against his dark skin, and Miles would kind of like to know why.

His mom says it’s because he’s special. But like, everyone’s special.

It’s not until he sees Gwen in action does he put two and two together. He thinks of how often he’d see the word _“thwip”_ on his arm, how he kept seeing the lyrics to a song that didn’t exist.

“In my universe, I’m in a band,” Gwen says, once they’re on the bus. “We’ve got a song called ‘Face It Tiger,’ but not much else. It goes—”

“There’s no use crying over pin pricks,” Miles sings. “Don’t fight the name if the name fits.”

Gwen’s eyes widen.

“You know it?” she says. Miles shows her his arm. On it, it says, _“Alternate universe groupie.”_

“Those are my thoughts,” Gwen says quietly. She giggles. “I never thought I’d get to see this.”

She pulls up her sleeve. It’s full of music notes, a sunflower, and some spiderwebs, with two spiders curling down her arm.

“And those are mine,” Miles realizes.

 

 

It’s on his arm in red ink— _“Face it Tiger, you hit the jackpot!”_

But they still got a divorce. You do see that sometimes, with soulmates.

If his Aunt May was still alive, she’d say that even magic couldn’t save a stubborn ass.

Well.

She deserved someone better, anyways.

 

 

Peni’s never been super concerned about her soulmate. According to her time, she still has a long ways to go before they meet, but that’s fine! Yeah, it was lonely, but it was never a soulmate that she wanted. Just… friends. And now she has some! So, she thinks she can wait a bit longer.

 

**ii. life**

“So, wait, are you telling me, in your world, you can just _always_ see your soulmates thoughts? You’re telling me, if you wear a tank top, _everyone’s_ going to see my thoughts?”

“Well, yeah, but it’s not like—it’s very _rude_ to make fun of that, you know? No one’s writing sonnets in their head all the time. We respect that. Besides, like, _soul marks?_ How are you supposed to tell who your soulmate is from some _profile pic?”_

“Which is why, obviously, my universe is best.”

“Shut up Peter.”

“I didn’t say anything!”

“You know who I mean!”

“I think it’s really cool that you guys still found each other. It’s like, that means all of us meeting was destiny! So, I think that means we all have to get through this okay. I don’t think it’s fair if you don’t get a chance to really know your soulmate.”

“That’s really sweet, Peni. I think the timer’s kind of weird, though. Like, what if I meet my soulmate when I’m in a coffeeshop? Do I just shout out that it’s soulmate time, because otherwise, we’re never going to know we met.”

“You joke, but yeah, kind of. A lot of people make a big declaration of love when they see time’s almost up. That way, you know your soulmate heard you! And you know what they’re like.”

“I mean, first words is still kind of a vague thing to go off, too.”

“That’s why I always introduce myself by saying ‘I just _thwipp_ ed here and _boy_ are my arms tired!’”

“Ughhhh…. Dad jokes…”

“Well, what about you, Edge?”

“Yeah, come on, Pete! Even your world’s gotta have some romance in it.”

“It’s a signature,” The Noir Spider-Man says. “However you sign your name is how your partner sees it. Some people get real fancy with it, but most just try and make it readable. Lots of rich folks go and hire out a private dick to search up their person. The rest of us, we just hope that the universe’ll look out for us.”

“So, who do you have?” Miles asks, excited. Noir doesn’t respond. He looks kind of uncomfortable.

“Listen,” Peter B. says. “There’s two different Peter’s here. Chances are, one of us knows the name on your wrist. Might as well give us a peak.”

Noir considers this for a moment before slowly rolling up a sleeve and showing it to the other man. He looks nervous, Miles thinks. Like a kid showing a parent their grades. Peter B. examines his wrist carefully.

“Yeah,” he says with a smile. “I know him. You’re a really lucky guy, bud.”

 

 

No one wants to leave Miles, but the thought of going home is especially bittersweet to Gwen.

“There’s no one in my world like you guys,” Miles says.

 _There’s no one in my world like you_ , Gwen thinks.

“I’ll get you home,” Miles says.

“Will you?” Noir asks.

“You don’t have to,” Peter says. “I’ll activate the collider.”

“You can’t—You can’t just leave me behind!”

“You’re not ready.”

“And what about you, huh? MJ’s your _soulmate_ , and you’re just going to _leave her?”_

“Miles.”

“You never find someone like your soulmate, man. Never.”

“Gwen’s going to be okay, Miles. I promise.”

“But what about _you?”_

 

 

**iii. universe**

His dad is talking to him through the door. He tells Miles that he’s everything.

_I see a spark in you, and it’s so great—_

On his arm, he can see Gwen singing _Face it Tiger_ to herself. It’s hard to see through the webbing Peter left him in, but by now, he knows by heart.

His dad believes in him. His uncle did too. And now, his soulmate’s in danger. His _friends_ are in danger. And he has the power to help them. So, he takes the advice of his dear friend Spider-Man

And takes a leap of [faith](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_inenhypZI).

 

 

 

_There’s no use crying over pin pricks_

_Don’t fight the name if the name fits_

_You’re doing good, think that you could do better_

 

 

And just like that, Miles is off to save the day. He’s still no expert at—well, anything, really—but he can almost _hear_ Gwen’s song ringing in his ears as he swings to the collider and he knows he’s not going to screw this up. He can’t, so he won’t.

Miles has never been more sure of anything in his whole life.

_You gotta face it tiger, face it tiger (it’s all you’ve got)_

_You gotta face it tiger, face it tiger (it’s your last shot)_

_You gotta face it tiger, face it tiger_

_(you hit the jackpot)_

_Yeah_

Octavius doesn’t expect anyone to save Peter. Spider-Man always works alone, right? Well, he’s not alone. Not now, and not ever.

“Looked like you could use a hand,” Miles says.

“I’m so proud of you,” Peter says.

_Yeah_

Octavius isn’t the only one trying to fight them in the collider, but it’s fine. Adrenaline’s pumping through his veins and his friends are with him and Miles is half convinced that in this moment, he’s invincible. There’s no way they can lose when they’re together.

_**Yeah**_

And that’s how Spider-Man saves the day.

                                                                                                                                **_Yeah!_**

 

 

“Don’t think of this as bye forever,” Gwen tells him. She taps her arm “No matter what happens, you’ll always be right here.”

“I’m going to miss you, kid,” Noir says. “I love you all.”

“It’s nice to know we’re not alone,” Peni says. Porker takes a bow.

“Peter,” Miles says. “You know she still loves you.”

 

 

“That’s the thing about soulmates—no one ever tells you how much _work_ it’s going to be. You always think, if we’re meant to be, it’ll happen. But no magic can help you if you stop trying. It’s still your choice, you know? You don’t have to stay with someone who’s making you unhappy, even if you know that they could make you really, _really_ happy if they just tried. Well, I want to try. All I could think about was how much better she deserved than me, but that wasn’t any excuse to let myself get _worse._ I want to believe that whatever magic gave me the ink on my arm will keep us together. I want to believe that I can show up at her house tomorrow and say, ‘I want to try again,’ and she’ll say, ‘what took you so long? Come in, I’ve got coffee brewing. And I’ve still got some of the gross creamer you like.’”

“You’ll make it, man. You’re a good guy. And you’re _soulmates._ The universe wouldn’t’ve put you together if you couldn’t work it out.”

“Same to you, kid.”

 

**iv. destiny**

Miles has been on his own as Spider-Man for about two days or so before he sees another portal. He’s not surprised to see Gwen, but he _is_ surprised to see her out of her Spider-Woman suit.

She’s wearing a tank-top, and Miles can see all his thoughts fading in and out on her arm, like someone spray-painting with invisible ink, but on her other arm, he sees the tattoo of a spider. It’s black and fuzzy with white and pink highlights, but something about it reminds Miles of the spider that bit him.

“You got a tattoo?” Miles says. Gwen shakes her head and laughs.

“Oh _man_ ,” she says. “You’re not going to believe this. Follow me.”

So he does.

 

On Peter’s hand is a spider. It looks almost identical to the one that bit Miles, but the tips of the legs are blue, not red.

On Noir’s hand is a spider. It’s just as inky and dramatic as he is.

On Porker’s hand is a spider. It winks at Miles when he sees it. On Peni’s hand is a spider. Now that Miles could see her spider out of their mech, he could tell they were one and the same.

“I didn’t think much about it at first,” Noir admits. “But I remembered that when we were swapping tales, you mentioned that any number of people could share a soul mark for any number of reasons.”

“You said it, right?” Peter says. “Universe keeps soulmates together. Even platonic ones, apparently.”

“The universe and my tech,” Peni corrects, putting her hands on her hips in a fake pout that quickly morphs into a genuine smile. “I’m glad we’re all together again.”

“You brought us together, Miles,” Gwen says. “I don’t think we could have done any of this without you.”

On Miles’ hand is a spider. It looks glitchy, like something from a bunch of universes pulled together. One leg is blue. One leg is pink. One leg’s an almost gothic looking stroke of ink. All parts of his friends, parts he can take with him wherever. If he’s sad, if he’s happy, all he has to do is look at the marks on his arms and he’ll know, he’s not alone.

“Your universe might be kind of strange,” Porker says. “But you guys really know how to do soulmates, I’ll give you that.”

 

**v. destiny ii**

On his 18th birthday, Miguel wakes up in his soulmate’s body, a girl with brown skin and purple hair and a wall filled with model airplanes. Excitement fills him as he realizes his body isn’t his own, that he doesn’t have to wait for his soulmate to turn eighteen, and can see them _now,_ but his excitement quickly wavers when he realizes where he is.

The calendar on her wall says 2009. A date is circled. It’s… not the date it’s supposed to be, for him, but it’s clear that that’s the date _now,_ and that it’s his soulmate’s birthday.

This isn’t how it’s supposed to go. His soulmate’s mother doesn’t seem to understand that he’s not her, and only understands why when he sees his soulmate’s arm. His soulmate’s mom calls it a “Soul Passage.” It’s supposed to be the first words you say to your soulmate. Her’s says, _“I can’t believe it’s really you.”_

It gives him hope, at least. If his universe brought him here, and her’s _might_ be talking about him, well, at least they had that. They stood a chance.

He goes to school as his soulmate. Tempest. Her name is Tempest, and he loves her.

He writes her a note in one of her notebooks. A simple thing, just _“My name is Miguel O’Hara, and I guess you probably know I’m from the future. Maybe that means we won’t ever meet. Maybe we’re just some one in a millionth chance that the universe screwed up, but I want to meet you. And I’m a pretty smart guy. So don’t worry. We’ll see each other again soon.”_

 

When he wakes up the next morning, he’s back in his own body, and in his own time. His brother Gabri tells him about Tempest, how freaked out she was by tech he had thought everyone had, how quickly she had adapted, how willing she was to spend the day with him—Gabri had taken off school to hang out with her, but it was only _one day,_ Miguel, and even Dad would understand him wanting to meet his brother’s soulmate.

“She was really cool,” Gabri says. “She’s definitely your soulmate.”

“I think we might be worlds apart, Gabriel,” Miguel says.

“Maybe you were,” Gabri replies. “But not anymore. Look."

Miguel looks. There’s words on his arm now. A soul passage. Just like the one _she_ had.

As he stares at it, he realizes: of _course_ he does. They were soulmates.

 

Time goes on. In the year 2099, Miguel O’Hara makes the universe’s first autonomous universal jump.

And then, in the year 2019, Miguel does something truly incredible—

He falls in love.

**Author's Note:**

> So! That's the end!  
> I just liked the idea of each universe having their own way of signifying soulmates, and how that might interact with universes colliding. I guess if Miles came to Gwen's universe, her arm would probably start displaying thoughts, but I think they're connected enough already?  
> Anyways, Tempest does exist! I read Miguel's comics, and he has a love interest in Peter B.'s world (aka, normal comic timeline) and i liked her a lot, so I wanted to include her in this. She convinces Miguel to go on a gameshow and pretend to be a loser office type so he can blow away the competition with his spider powers. It's literally the best.  
> I ended up kind of combining things I saw for gwen's soul thing. I've seen people being able to write on their skin to soulmates, and people being able to hear their thoughts and they just kind of melded I guess. It fit better with Miles that way, tbh  
> Also! I did not make up the song. That is a song by the band Married by Sea Monsters, and it was in Marvel Rising: Ghost Spider, which you can find on youtube. It's not the only spider gwen song by the band, either! They also wrote "Murderface," "Paperdoll", and "Vulture." So, the more you know!


End file.
